Chrono (Chrno) Crusade - Rosette Christopher figure by Aruze

! There is a wall of text in the beginning! If you want to see the figure + pictures and not the background information, you can scroll down a bit. ;) !

The pantyshots in this review has been put in spoiler, so this is a sfw review!

Welcome to my review! Today I will be talking about a figure of Rosette Christopher ENTRY #3838 from Chrono Crusade (regularly also written as Chrno Crusade) ENTRY #502 ! This figure ITEM #11155 is made by Aruze ENTRY #10916 .

I will start off with telling some more about her background.

Background

Chrono Crusade is a manga and anime series that was very popular in the early 2000's. Because of the good localization, it was for a lot of people in my area one of their first manga or anime. The series takes place in the roaring 20s in America, where a demonic threat is taking place. The Order of Magdalene is a part of the Catholic Church, which fights these demons. Don't expect any church choirs chanting away demons, no, this is an action packed series with nuns wielding weapons. Although the series seems a bit over the top sometimes, it has a very nice story, with a plot that goes deeper than it would initally seem from something with such an outrageous set-up. Interesting to add is that the manga and anime finished around the same time, meaning both versions have very different endings, as the anime could not take from the manga plot at some point anymore. I personally prefer the manga ending, but I think the one of the anime is quite beautiful too. If you read or saw one of the two, I definitely recommend to check out the other one too, so you can get another view on the story!

Rosette (sometimes written as Rosetto) Christopher is one of the nuns from the Order of Magdalene. View spoilerHide spoilerShe has a partnership with the demon Chrono (which refers to the name of the anime), in her goal of finding her missing brother. She is an often reckless girl, who gets in trouble with the head nun a lot, but she always goes after her goals with huge enthusiasm. Even though she sometimes comes off as ditzy, she is a very lovable character.

About the release/manufacturer

Manufacturer Aruze ENTRY #10916 seems to have been short-lived. There is quite some mystery about the release of this figure and it's related items, but it seems like they were part of an (very expensive an exclusive) prize item set. Aruze has only made 32 figures in it's lifetime, of which 21 were bigger sized prize/scaled (3 of them Chrono Cruade related). Most of their quality seems to be below average even for the releases back in those days. For reference, you could get way nicer detailed figures for around the same price back then, such as: ITEM #4714 , ITEM #5206 and ITEM #3910 . With the low amount of information I can find online about these Chrono Crusade figures, it would seem that for ¥4,000 you would get one item from this set, which means you could also get something small, such as this keychain ITEM #327825 for that price! I certainly hope that is not true...

The reason why and how I got her

I a very fond of this franchise, and have made it one of my goals to try and collect as much official material as possible from it. I bought this figure and the matching ITEM #11154 about 2 years ago when I did a big proxy order from Japan, the rest of the loot I had back then you can see here: BLOG #20246 .

Original art

Minus the cross necklace in her mouth, the posing looks a lot like this artwork, especially the hands. This is one of the anime artworks, the figure was released a few months after both the anime and manga were finished. The figure shows more likeliness to her anime counterpart than her manga one.

Video

For people that prefer the box shots, first look and first shots of the figure as a video, please take a look at the inserted video below. For the people interested in pictures: keep on scrolling!

The Box

Before I really start this review, keep in mind this figure is over 13 years old!

The packaging is quite simple, and is re-used with the other two figures from this set: ITEM #11156 and ITEM #11154 . The box gives off a prize-figure feel, but with the ¥4,000 each release price for these, this keeps on being a mystery.

The box itself has some nice contrasting colors and the figure has a lot of protective blister. Interesting to point out is the small Kadokawa licensing sticker on the back. I'm 99.9% sure there are no bootlegs of this figure (or that there would be someone interested in making them), but it's always good to keep an eye out on this.

My copy of this figure had been sealed for all those years since her release, until I opened her up while shooting for this review. The figure had a slight amount of stickiness when I opened her, something common for older figures and figures that have been sealed in their boxes for very long. After a short cleaning session, I set her up for the rest of the review.

First Look

The figure comes in a big and very sturdy blister, which is a lot better than the blisters of a lot of other figures I own from this age. The base is a seperate part of this figure.

The Figure

Unfortunately, one of the most noticeable things from this figure are the 'dead' eyes and the weird smile she has, before you get to the other parts. While the other parts are pretty nice for a figure this age!

Looking at all the details!

Let's get right away to the worst part of this figure: her eyes. They look very 'dead' and not very fitting for the energetic person Rosette is. I don't know why they couldn't spare to make a small sparkle in the eye decal. I'm thinking of adding them myself with paint.

Another slightly weird thing in her face is her mouth. It's very arched and close to her nose, giving a very smug look. While looking smug is fitting for Rosette, it just looks really weird on this figure.

Rosette's eyebrows are painted nicely. The sculpt and paint of the hair is so-so. You can see quite a bit of seamlines and the material itself seems a bit grainy here.

Her cap is quite crudely glued onto the rest of her head. Which probably means that if the cap would come off, she would look similar to this: i.imgur.com/ldB...Thanks to PAULDY for this nightmare-inducing picture.

After my rewiew of Kasumi BLOG #38588 , I'm now extra watchful for the details they put into the ears of figures and it's very funny to see that this old Rosette figure has a lot more detail there!

The white line at the top is quite eh-looking, but the rest of the paint on the cap is very neat. That is something noticeable in general about this figure, most of the parts that are in one single color look quite good. I'm expecting that the cap and dress were cast in blue PVC and are not painted at all.

This theory is possibly proven at the front, where the top of her dress is in a different shade of blue than the cap. The golden details here, such as the crosses on her upper arms, are painted quite nicely. Most of the other colors are a bit more roughly painted.

There also seems to have been put some extra care and effort in making Rosette's watch (which is a very important plot point in the series) looking good, both in sculpt and paint.

Both of Rosette's arms have some pretty big leftovers from the seamlines, but they are not very visible from other angles than this.

The posing of her hands makes her look like she just finished reloading and is ready for action! The bad trigger discipline can be seen as an annoying point for some collectors.

Rosette's right hand is quite nicely posed, but her left hand looks a bit bendy with those fingers. Her gloves have simple paint and a small seamline is to be seen.

The gun itself is not the best when it comes to details and sculpt, but it's acceptable. It looks like there is a bit of dust on it, but that's actually small spots of misplaced paint (also visible to a lesser extent on her gloves).

I like that they went through the effort of painting the holy part white and adding the small detail there. The original design has a lot more detail, but hey, I did not even expect them to put this here!

The expression of this figure gives her more a 'crazy silent assassin' look, than the heavy fight she is probably in. The posing of her upper body is interestingly done, though.

The bags around her waist look pretty nice in paint and sculpt. The white/gray bodice with black details also has a nice sculpt with quite some wrinkles made in them. In this underboob-shot you can also see the wrinkles in her dress there a bit better. Overall this is one of the cleanest-looking parts of the figure.

Only noticed afterwards that my focus of this picture was off, sorry. The back of the dress shows quite a bit of wrinkles sculpted, with the one standing out the most being the one that shapes her behind.

The dress splits up very high, with the top part being a bit crudely glued together and some leftover tabs to be seen. The legs themselves have a nice shape and the paint on the kneesocks is well done.

Rosette has a pretty clunky shoe design, but the sculpting and paint is quite intricate here, especially compared to the rest of the figure.

The only way to see pantyshots with this figure, is to remove Rosette from the base. You can see her panties are sculpted and painted seperately, and you can catch a bit of upper bare thigh.

The skirt has slightly bendable PVC, but I do not recommend doing what I do in these pictures for a long time. By bending the skirt, you can get a slightly better view of her panties. There are not a lot of details. It does seem like this figure is an easy forceable cast-off, if you're into that.

The base has a small decal with the series name at the top.

The bottom has some simple copyright markings.

The Points

Positive
- Very decent sculpt for her age.
- Considering the low amount of Chrono Crusade merchandise, I would say it's a must-get for the big fans of the franchise.

Neutral
- Packaging is quite generic.

Negative
- 'Dead' looking eyes.
- Some paint letdowns.

The Scores

Sculpting 7/10
The sculpt of this figure is quite decent for it's age. The ripples in the bottom half of the dress stand out especially.

Painting 6/10
Some parts are painted quite okay, but other parts are painted a bit more crude.

Posing 6/10
I quite like the posing of the upper body, but the lower body is very bland. Especially compared to the original artwork it seems like Rosette is in the middle of a fighting scene, which doesn't explain her boring leg pose.

Base 6/10
Not too big or small, but not much special either.

Packaging 7/10
Pretty generic prize figure design, but the blisters are very high quality and protect the figure well.

Enjoyment 8/10
As a big Chrono Crusade fan, I still highly enjoy this figure. She is not the prettiest, but after I add some glimmer to her eye, I think she will look quite okay. Especially considering that all my other Chrono Crusade collectibles are older and many of them lower quality too. I do wish one day a manuafacturer would pick up design(s) from this franchise again, I love Rosette and Chrono their looks! Come on Kotobukiya, you recently made a figure of Cowboy Bebop and a few years ago one from Trigun, why not give Chrono Crusade a second chance?

Conclusion

If you are a big fan of Chrono Crusade, or specifically Rosette, I would recommend this figure. Keep in mind her age and quality, though. If you are a fan of sexy nuns in general, this is also a nice one, but I wouldn't shell out huge amounts of money for her.

Availability

This figure is regularly for sale on eBay for around $40. The figure doesn't come up much on Japanese websites, but if it does, the price is lower and they seem to sell quick. I don't have the invoice of my order from back then, but I think I paid around 2,5-3K yen for her, excluding proxy and shipping fees.

And to finish it!

Currently this figure is in a temporary and cramped display, but I hope to soon have time to rearrange it and make a picture of my Chrono Crusade collection!

For those who read all this way, thank you! My next review will be a comparison with the other version of this figure, also made by Aruze: ITEM #11154

I hope you enjoyed this review, you could also check my other figure reviews when interested! Here are a few of my recent ones:

Scores6/10

Raze (8 months ago) #29902558I saw your review for the other Rosette. At first I thought I was looking at the previous figure; they're so similar. XD
Akira Ishida does voice for both Persona 3 games and movies. And drama CDs. The whole JP cast does. Talking about this reminds me I've been meaning to listen to the drama CDs. I've tuned in to only one. A bunch of tracks are subbed at YT and that is so great since I've wanted to hear the tracks and know what's going on.

Yeah, while I was writing that review I stopped halfway writing and thought 'hrmm, it's a bit too similar'. Which was the point where I changed it to a 'comparison review' instead of a normal review and started rewriting a lot of parts. :P They probably did it to save as much money as possible, but it would have been nice if the 3rd in the set was an Azmaria instead of a second Rosette. *sigh*

That is really good to know! I did not play Persona 3 yet, the 'newest' one I played was actually 2, so 3 should be the next one coming up! :) I think I will try out the game first before I started listening to any drama CD's (they could have spoilers or plot points I don't get without playing the game or watching the anime)! Thanks for pointing me to them! :)

Maakie (8 months ago) #29883834I saw some new additions in the database regarding Chrono Crusade! Time to put those items on my wishlist. :) I'm mainly curious myself if the Aruze prize item set consisted of more than 'just' only 3 figures and 3 keychains, it seems like a low amount of different prizes. By the way, I'm not sure if you saw it yet, but a few days ago I uploaded the comparison review with the other Rosette: BLOG #38644 :)
Correct, I did not find any translations for those CD's. With some of them I get it a bit better than others what is going on. ^^'' Some of them also follow a chapter from the manga for a big part of it.
Ah, I loved his role as Satoshi from DNAngel. <3 The first time I heard his voice (and instantly fell in love with it) for me was Chrono. :) I also love him as Aru in Mirai Nikki and Kaworu in Evangelion. Oh, I'm so much behind on Persona...he only voices in the Persona movies, not the games from what I can find online?

I saw your review for the other Rosette. At first I thought I was looking at the previous figure; they're so similar. XD

Akira Ishida does voice for both Persona 3 games and movies. And drama CDs. The whole JP cast does. Talking about this reminds me I've been meaning to listen to the drama CDs. I've tuned in to only one. A bunch of tracks are subbed at YT and that is so great since I've wanted to hear the tracks and know what's going on.

Raze (8 months ago) #29561660There really isn't much merchandise for the series. I used to have some boards from the series and I didn't know they've never been added to the database before. Just for fun I did that. Wow, I had to resort to the Wayback Machine to get photos, LOL.
I like drama CDs, but unless a series is popular most of the time there aren't any translations. Youtube has been great for translated drama tracks if I find them. Instead of reading a text file I can follow along with subtitles in real time which is as close to watching an anime as a drama CD can be.
I first heard Akira Ishida when fansubs came out for DN Angel. Wow, that's a long time ago! It has been fun to hear him again in the Persona 3 movies. The P3 drama CDs are funny.

I saw some new additions in the database regarding Chrono Crusade! Time to put those items on my wishlist. :) I'm mainly curious myself if the Aruze prize item set consisted of more than 'just' only 3 figures and 3 keychains, it seems like a low amount of different prizes. By the way, I'm not sure if you saw it yet, but a few days ago I uploaded the comparison review with the other Rosette: BLOG #38644 :)

Correct, I did not find any translations for those CD's. With some of them I get it a bit better than others what is going on. ^^'' Some of them also follow a chapter from the manga for a big part of it.

Ah, I loved his role as Satoshi from DNAngel. <3 The first time I heard his voice (and instantly fell in love with it) for me was Chrono. :) I also love him as Aru in Mirai Nikki and Kaworu in Evangelion. Oh, I'm so much behind on Persona...he only voices in the Persona movies, not the games from what I can find online?

Maakie (8 months ago) #29542512Even with the shoddier quality, it quite fits because it's an older franchise. I really treasure my Chrono Crusade items. :)
I recently bought multiple drama CD's from Chrono Crusade (of which I am planning a mini review about a few of them, Remington is also on a few of them!), and I personally especially like hearing Akira Ishida. Because of his role as Chrono, I started watching a lot of other anime that featured his voice. :) When it comes to the OST's, I mainly enjoy the more action-packed background music used there. :)

There really isn't much merchandise for the series. I used to have some boards from the series and I didn't know they've never been added to the database before. Just for fun I did that. Wow, I had to resort to the Wayback Machine to get photos, LOL.

I like drama CDs, but unless a series is popular most of the time there aren't any translations. Youtube has been great for translated drama tracks if I find them. Instead of reading a text file I can follow along with subtitles in real time which is as close to watching an anime as a drama CD can be.

I first heard Akira Ishida when fansubs came out for DN Angel. Wow, that's a long time ago! It has been fun to hear him again in the Persona 3 movies. The P3 drama CDs are funny.

Raze (8 months ago) #29517588How nostalgic! A lot of things made now are shoddier quality than in the past, but figures are one of those things that have definitely improved in quality over the years. You just have to look at an old figure like this to make you really appreciate the current ones. Derpy eyes are no more!
I love CC's OP and ED songs. I do listen them even now. The ED's animation is simple, but it's one of my favorites. The animation is one I like watching textless. I remember I was so excited to find an art book of sketches for the series and it had the ED images. Plus Remington. We can't get enough of him, LOL! I became a bigger fan of Hayami Sho after seeing the series. I'm so glad he got a part in the Fate series since I could hear more of him paired with the gorgeous visuals.

Even with the shoddier quality, it quite fits because it's an older franchise. I really treasure my Chrono Crusade items. :)

I recently bought multiple drama CD's from Chrono Crusade (of which I am planning a mini review about a few of them, Remington is also on a few of them!), and I personally especially like hearing Akira Ishida. Because of his role as Chrono, I started watching a lot of other anime that featured his voice. :) When it comes to the OST's, I mainly enjoy the more action-packed background music used there. :)

How nostalgic! A lot of things made now are shoddier quality than in the past, but figures are one of those things that have definitely improved in quality over the years. You just have to look at an old figure like this to make you really appreciate the current ones. Derpy eyes are no more!

I love CC's OP and ED songs. I do listen them even now. The ED's animation is simple, but it's one of my favorites. The animation is one I like watching textless. I remember I was so excited to find an art book of sketches for the series and it had the ED images. Plus Remington. We can't get enough of him, LOL! I became a bigger fan of Hayami Sho after seeing the series. I'm so glad he got a part in the Fate series since I could hear more of him paired with the gorgeous visuals.

Coffee (8 months ago) #29512623Depends if they're lottery or crane-game.
These are most likely crane-game prizes.

Learn something new every day. ^^ Anyway, considering the premade 'holes' on the side of the box, they seem to indeed be crane-game prizes. Just like the keychains from this set seem to be easy to grab by crane looking at their packaging. Make me curious if the set had even more items than 3 figures + 3 keychains.

Maakie (8 months ago) #29512455Hrrmm that doesn't confirm their release price, but it triple confirms that they are prizes, haha!
I thought all prize figures on MFC were listed by the price of 1 try in the lottery/arcade they are from? They should actually be added with no price listed at all if I understood you correctly? (English is not my first language. >.<)
Depends if they're lottery or crane-game.
These are most likely crane-game prizes.

Coffee (8 months ago) #29500127Yep, I do.www.1999.co.jp/...
But since they're price figures, they don't really have a list price and it shouldn't be listed on MFC at all, but these entries are old so I'm guessing someone just added the info found on HS.

Hrrmm that doesn't confirm their release price, but it triple confirms that they are prizes, haha!

I thought all prize figures on MFC were listed by the price of 1 try in the lottery/arcade they are from? They should actually be added with no price listed at all if I understood you correctly? (English is not my first language. >.<)

CrowMaiden (8 months ago) #29503730I would probably die if Kotobukiya did a nice Chrono and Rosette. I loved this series so much and I would love a good Chrono especially.
(Personally, I liked the ending of the anime more, but I liked the manga better all the way up until the end. So I'm very fond of them both because they combine for the perfect story in my opinion hahaha)

If Kotobukiya would make them, I would be like:

I try to keep hope!

Chrono is also my favorite character from the franchise, but Azmaria comes a close second. <3

The anime ending was a lot more saddening, but the manga version made me think a lot more about all the events that happened during the franchise (instead of INSTANTLY GETTING SUPER SAD). I got more peace with the manga ending because of that, although the anime ending was so shocking that it stuck to me for a while. Anyway, that's the reason why I recommend both! Both endings are really interesting in their own way. :)

I would probably die if Kotobukiya did a nice Chrono and Rosette. I loved this series so much and I would love a good Chrono especially.

(Personally, I liked the ending of the anime more, but I liked the manga better all the way up until the end. So I'm very fond of them both because they combine for the perfect story in my opinion hahaha)